Our Year in Review: CU's 2023 Impact Report
“It is really, very much just that- Caring Unlimited. Caring for you no matter what. No matter where you came from, how many kids you have, how much money you don’t have, how traumatized you are. Unlimited empowerment.”
- Amanda,* Caring Unlimited Direct Service Programs Client
Executive Director’s Message
Dear Friends,
24-hours a day, 365 days a year, Caring Unlimited’s team of advocates works creatively and compassionately to help survivors like Amanda and their children become safer from abuse.
It is not an overstatement to say that the safety planning services and resources survivors access at Caring Unlimited are lifesaving.
This past year, with the support of CU’s advocates, 1872 survivors had the opportunity to consider their options, increase their safety, and pave the road to freedom from their abuser.
We experienced a sustained high demand for services and witnessed significant and increasing levels of danger and lethality faced by survivors in our community. We responded by doing more for both individuals and families in need of support, and for our community partners.
We increased capacity in our legal program, adding a full-time court advocate to help more people get protection orders. We used remaining COVID relief funds to expand shelter capacity with hotel stays providing 265 more nights of safety. We kept our services low barrier, free of charge, and available to survivors for as long as needed. We kept our commitment to being accessible, culturally responsive, and trauma informed.
In the year ahead, we plan an extensive renovation to our emergency shelter to meet ADA standards and to increase functionality for families who are guests there. Our new Youth Advisory Board is just getting started. You can learn more about this exciting and growing area of our work on page 5.
Our partnerships with other agencies fortify York County’s community safety net and improve outcomes for survivors through formal partnerships, collaboration, and financial support afforded by our competitive grant awards. These benefits are expanded upon on page 3.
As we look ahead, we face uncertainty in our core funding sources which threatens the progress we have made. A 60% reduction to Federal VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) funding has the potential to drastically impact Maine’s victim services, including those provided by Caring Unlimited. We will see an end to the pandemic relief funds which enabled us to expand shelter and housing services. The losses we face will put enormous pressure on all of CU’s services and the community safety net of which we are a part.
We are proud to be a one-of-a-kind resource for our community and to share highlights from the past year with you. I hope you feel pride too in what we have accomplished together. Let’s renew our commitment to build on these successes and to work alongside each other to end domestic violence in our community and to face of the challenges that lie ahead.
Thank you,
Susan Giambalvo
Executive Director
*Client names changed to ensure confidentiality